Moving forward

First step to take when you are diagnosed with cancer

V Care Foundation is a voluntary support group dedicated providing free help, hope, awareness & education to cancer patients & their families through outreach programs & services that improve the quality of their lives.

V-Care has prepared this booklet to help patients & their families understand & deal with cancer &its related conditions. We believe this will help the patient & the family faces the disease together to get in touch with us for any help.

The toughest news

You have been just told the news no one wants to hear. You or a loved one has cancer, or you were successfully treated for cancer and the disease has returned. You can’t help but feel frightened and wonder what lies ahead. Yet you are a survivor. The moment you are diagnosed, you become a cancer survivor and join over 10 million cancers survivors in the world today.

It’s normal to experience sadness and normal for the stress of a cancer diagnosis to affect you and those you love. Cancer is a disease that touches everyone around you. You’ll need the support of your family, friends and community as you make decision about your care and move through the treatment process. Let them join you as teammates as you face the road ahead. Together, you can seek information, ask the right question and develop an action plan for your care.

Navigating the health care system – the tests, doctors’ appointment and more- can be daunting. Yet the more involved you become in your treatment, the more empowered you’ll feel. Use this information to map out your path for the future.

Treatment choices

Decision about cancer treatment are among the most important you’ll make. Research has led to many ways to treat cancer and continues to do so.

Your doctor may suggest both traditional and new methods to treat your cancer and address side effects, and you may be faced with various options.

Treatment

Depending on the type of cancer you’re dealing with, your treatment may involve some or all of the following.

Standard treatment

This may include surgery, the use of anti-cancer drugs chemotherapy and/or radiating therapy.

Clinical Trials

They are carefully designed research studies that test promising new treatment. All of the cancer therapies available today were developed through clinical trials are carefully monitored and usually receive at least the best known treatment available. Clinical trials may offer patients the chance to use a new therapy often many years before it is generally available, and the chance to add to the knowledge of doctors and scientist.

One size does not fit all

Depending on your type of cancer, your doctor may recommend a combination of surgery, chemotherapy, radiation and novel therapies for treatment. Be sure to ask your doctor about each kind of treatment to determine if any or all might be right for you.

Surgery

May be done for removal of the entire cancerous tumor, or obtaining tissue to diagnose if the cancer has spread, or to help control pain.

Chemotheraphy

Medicine or drugs taken orally or through an intravenous line to control or eliminate cancer cells.

Radiation therapy-

Using radiation to target cancer cells and kill them

Targeted therapies

These treatments are also called “biological therapies” because they work to targets individual cancer cells and leave normal cells alone. Types of targeted therapies include anti-angiogenesis therapy, which helps stop cancer cells which stimulated your own immune system to fight the cancer.

The order of treatment varies with each type of cancer. Sometimes patients have chemotherapy first to shrink a tumor, and then it is removed in surgery. Other people might have surgery first and have chemotherapy to treat any remaining cancer cells. Discuss this with your physician to decide the best process for you.

As you look at treatment options, you’ll need to determine what you can realistically accept. Depending on the type of cancer and stage of the cancer, you may be looking at cure extending your life and maintain your quality of life ,or palliation . Some cancer treatments are designed to control pain when a cure is not possible. Surgery, chemotherapy and radiation can have difficult side effects, so it’s important for you to weigh the benefits and the challenges, and move forward accordingly.

“Believe in positive thinking, and in being a survivor.”

Looking ahead

The next few days and weeks will be a busy time, s you face critical decision about your treatment for cancer. Remember, you do have time to look into your options and make choices that are right for you and your family. Gather information and make a list of question to ask when you visit your doctor. Ask for help and support from family and friends.

As you move through this first stage of survival, turn to other cancer survivors for support and advice. Be honest with your health care team and ask question about why certain therapies are recommended. Don’t hesitate to seek a second or even a third opinion.

Give yourself time to take it all in, then move forward by gathering information so you can make sure treatment decision with confidence.

V care information resources:

V care provides helping booklet about cancer their treatments and coping with these include chemotherapy radiation therapy and diet for cancer patients.

At any stage of disease, supportive care is available to relieve the side effects of treatment, and to ease emotional concerns. Further information you can meet with one our volunteers or call out troll free help line-